Fire-control system for ordnance



SEARCH ROOM W I I I CROSS REFERENCE Filed May 14, :92? 2 sheetsksheet 1 June 11, 1%29. J. c. KARNES FIRE CONTROL SYSTEM FOR ORDNANCE Filed May 14, 1927 2 Sheetset 2 Patented June V 1929.

FATE}- JAMES C. KARNES, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

IEIElEL-ZI-(KER-TR0L SYSTEM FOR ORDNAN'CE.

Application filed May 1 1927. Serial No. 191,470.

(GRANTED UNDER THE ACT 0 MARCH 3, 1883, AS AMENDED APRIL 30, 1928; 370 O. G. 757.)

The invention described herein. if patented. mav he nmnufactured and used by or for the Gdvernment for governmental purposes without the payment to me of any royalty thereon. I

This invention relates to a lire control system for ordnance. v

The observation of artillery fire with a view to calculating the lateral and vertical corrections necessary to place the burston the. targetcan not be carried on accurately at long ranges. As a result the airplane has beeii intri iduced to enable the observer to obtain data from the vicinity of the target.

The object of this invention is to provide a system of tire control wherein the data to be (ibtaiued bv an aerial observer may be rapidly determined in a form available for immediate transmission to the battery station and the data may be applied in a novel manner to ascertain the range and deflection error.

\Vith the foregoing and other objects in view, my invention resides in the novel arrangement. and combination of parts and in the -detuils of construction hereinr'it'ter described and claimed. it being understood that changes in the precise cmbodin'ient of the invention herein disclosed may be made within the scope ot'what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

A practical en'ilmdiu'ient of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein 1 and 2 are respectively views in side and end elc ation of the observing instrument;

Fig". tern Fig. at is a view of the plotting paper before entering data;

Fig". 5 an illustrated view of the reticule for a particular situation;

Fig. 6 a view of the plottingpaper on which entered the data slu vu in Fig.

Fig-s. T and are views corres iiomliug to Figs. and G and representing a dil'l'ereut Situat ion;

Fig. 9 is a plan view of the deflection protractor;

Fig. 10 is a view showing the manner of applying directionand deflection pron-actors to the problem presented in Fig. 8, certain of the coordinate lines of the plotting paper he iug omitted to avoid confusion.

3 is a detail view of the reticule pat.-

lcferring to the drawings by numerals of reference I i The elementary steps involved in correcting artillery the from observation of the lnlrst of the projectile comprise a designation 0'! the burst point in terms of reference either to the target or the gun so that the burst may be plotted and the corrective-data measured and applied.

The apparatus employed in conjunction with the present system comprises a number ol independent elements. namely. a SpOttlllg instrument A. a sheet of plottinc paper ll. :1 direction. protractor C and a deflection protractor D which is longitudinally graduated in values of range and transversely graduated in values of angular lateral measurements.

The spotting instrun'ieut A, in the form of a telescope. is mounted in an airplane and is manned by an observer. It is provided with a pendulum a carrying a scale I) registering against an index 0 on the instrument and servin to al'l'ord a measure of the angle of d epression on to the target. The rcticule (Z in the observers telescope (Fig. 3) is of a distinctive pattern and consists of a clock dial 6 within which are a number of concentric circles 7' representing angular dili'erenccs of 1" from the axis of the instrument and servingto measure the angle of deviation of burst from the line of sightas represented by the letter or in Fig. 6.

The plot-tin; paper B (Fig. l) is prepared with a ground line g. a flight line 71- which maybe 'n'edelermimd and an altitude line 7 whose point of intersection Z: with the ground line represents the position of the target E (lfii 's. 5 6 and T).

Assuming that the plane is traveling along: the battery-target courseata predetermined altitude the observer in sighting his telescope on the target locates the target in the cc t-er of the field. When a burst- F appears as indicated in Fig. he transmits the angle of depression on. the clock number which indicates the direction of the burst with respect to the target, and the niunber oi the circle which indicates the angular variation 72 "from the line of sight. This data revealed by the burst shown in Fig. 5 is plotted on the paper 5 as seen in Fig. 6. The battery station in this instance thereby obtains a. measure of the distance X-Y and this value in terms of range is known l'roni the seale ol' the plotting paper.

In those cases WllOIG the burst does not occur on the inerdian line it is necessary to introduce the protractors into the solution as seen in Figs. 8 and 10 wherein the data shown in tlmreticule of Fig. 7 is plotted. The direction protractor being laid on the paper with the two oclock line on the ground line 9, the deflection protractor is placed over it in such a manner that its zero line is ever the meridian line of the direction protractor and the proper range line passes through the target. The correction for range may be directlv read "from the range scale and the correction for lateral deflection may also be directly read therefrom in angular values.

hile observations should preferably be made when the plane is on the lmttery-targct course a burst may be reported when the plane is oil the conrse as the observer may readily interpret the proper direction of the point of burst with respect to the target by reteronce f'o the course indicator or compass carried by the plane.

The data to be transmitted is available in convenient form as it will only be necessary to report a series of numbers. Any deviation from predetermined altitude may be expresscd in code numbers.

I claim:

1. In a fire control system, the combination with an aircraft 01 a telescope baring a reticule presenting a direction dial and a plurality of concentric circles representing angular variations from the axis of the telescope and means associated with the telescope for measuringthe angle of depression.

2 In a tire control system, the combination with an aircraft of a telescope having a reticnle presenting a direction dial and means for indicating angular variations from the axis of the telescope and means associated with 3. A method of ascertaining the range and and appl3,'ing a protractor hai ing range and deflection scales.

4. A method of tire control for ordnance which includes deterlninin a from an observation point the altitude of said point, the angle of depression to the target, the angle of deviation of burst and the dircction of burst i h respect to a substai'itiallv vertical plane through point and target, plotting the position of target andduirst from the data obtained, establishing the liattery-target course by applying a clock protractor with its center over the plotted position of the target and with the directional indication of the burst over the plotted position of burst. and measuring the range and deflection ditl'erences be. tween the plotted position of the burst and target.

A. method of tire control for ordnance which includes detern:inin' from an obsen ration point the a on to target, the angle of deviation of bui.:t and the direction oi burst with respect to a snl-istantially vertical plane through point and target, determining the altitude of the observation point: plotting the position of target and burst from the data obtained. establishin; thebattery target course by applying a clock protractor with its center over the plotted position of the target and with the directional indication of the burst over the plotted position of burst and measuring the JABIES C. KARNES. i 

